NEW DELHI: Lauding the security forces for systematically dismantling the top leadership of the Naxals and breaking the backbone of red terror, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday announced a significant victory in the fight against Left-Wing Extremism (LWE).
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Shah said, “Today, our security forces have achieved another major victory against the Naxalites. In the Abujhmad region of Narayanpur, along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, our forces eliminated two Central Committee Member Naxal leaders – Katta Ramachandra Reddy and Kadri Satyanarayan Reddy.”
“Our security forces are systematically dismantling the top leadership of the Naxals, breaking the backbone of red terror,” he added.
According to officials, the joint operation was launched based on intelligence received by the Chhattisgarh Police. Security teams moved into the Moosfarshi forests in Abujhmad, which borders Maharashtra, where a gun battle broke out on Monday morning.
The bodies of the two male Naxalites were recovered from the site, along with an AK-47 rifle, other weapons, a large cache of explosives, Maoist propaganda material, and items for daily use. Officials stated that this seizure is likely to significantly disrupt Naxalite operations in the region and dent their morale.
Security forces had reportedly received intelligence over the past two days indicating Maoist movement in the Abujhmad region. Two separate teams, comprising personnel from the Narayanpur Police and the Central Armed Police Forces (CRPF), were deployed for the operation.
So far this year, 248 Naxalites have been killed in various encounters across the state. Notable incidents include:
Sept 18: In southwest Bijapur, two carrying a bounty of Rs 7 lakh killed
Sept 18: In Sukma’’s Gadiras police station area, one carrying a bounty of Rs 5 lakh killed
Sept 13: Gariaband encounter, 10 of them killed, including one carrying a bounty of Rs 1 crore
Sept 10: One Maoist killed in Kanker
Sept 5: Body recovered after encounter in the Narayanpur-Dantewada border area
Aug 13: Police killed Special Zonal Committee member and Divisional Committee secretary
Aug 6: One killed in Bijapur
July 29: One killed in Sukma
July 27: In Basaguda and Gangalur in Bijapur, four carrying a bounty killed
July 18: In Narayanpur 6 killed, bodies recovered
July 5: In Bijapur National Park area, one killed
June 7: Bodies of five recovered in Kanker area
June 6: In n Bijapur, Telangana State Committee member killed
May 21,28: including commander Basavaraju, killed in Bijapur
May 15, 31 killed on Karregutta hills
April 12, 3 killed in encounter near Dantewada-Bijapur border
March 31: A female extremist carrying a bounty killed near the Dantewada-Bijapur border
March 29, 17: Naxalites killed in Sukma
March 20, 30: killed in in Bijapur and Kanker
Feb 9, 31: killed in Bijapur encounter
Jan 20, 21: 16 killed in Gariaband
Jan 19, 14: including Central Committee member Jairam alias Chalapathi, killed
Jan 16: In Bijapur district, 18 Maoists killed